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It's Fun to Play the Piano ... Please Pass It On!

Having signed up for the big Mendelssohn recital and also having the upcoming ABF recital on the agenda I decided to try recording my pieces already yesterday. But this turned out to be pretty frustrating. First of all, listening to recordings of my own playing reveals issues I do not notice while actually playing myself. Then comes the tension just being aware that I try to produce a good recording. This gives increased risk of missing notes and even running completely off the track. One of the pieces I tried to record yesterday is quite long, actually about 5 minutes. Of course I had to do some bad mistakes on the last page after having overcome the most difficult points. It also seems to be a rule that if I make a mistake at one point, this will re-appear if I try once more from the beginning. I wasn't able to make a single recording of acceptable quality yesterday. Fortunately there is some time left before the deadlines.

I think everyone here will read this and say "yup, yup, yup, that's the way it happens"

Eventually you'll get used to the fact that it happens and it won't be quite as frustrating - well, for me it isn't. I just know it's going to happen, and I know I'm not going to get a "perfect" recording. I don't play perfectly in a live performance, either, but I don't have to re-listen to it later

If this is the first time you've tried to record I imagine it's particularly frustrating because you didn't realize it would happen. If so, cheer up! It does get better with time and practice recording and performing!

And congratulations on taking this step - it will eventually make a huge difference in your playing. Onward and upward

Cathy

_________________________
CathyPractice like you are the worst; play like you are the best - anonymous

I'm not one that's qualified to assess, but I think you shouldn't be stopping at a mistake. You should play through it (so I've heard), and if it's a recurring issue then you need to practice just through those measures, making sure it's continuous and you don't stop at the problematic point. Slow down if necessary but don't break it.

I'm not one that's qualified to assess, but I think you shouldn't be stopping at a mistake. You should play through it (so I've heard), and if it's a recurring issue then you need to practice just through those measures, making sure it's continuous and you don't stop at the problematic point. Slow down if necessary but don't break it.

edit: I do mean this for practice of course, not while recording!

There's an ancient piano method that talks about "fractures" -- the places that you play consistently badly. The cure:

1. Put ten pennies into a bowl.

2. Break the area around the "fracture" out, and start practicing just that area.

3. Each time you play it well, take a penny out of the bowl.

4. Each time you play it badly, put all the pennies back into the bowl.

When the bowl is empty, you've earned a dime. Proceed to the next fracture.

The extra pressure of "the recorder is running, I have to get this perfect" is one I understand well. But it has a simple cure:

We all sympathize. Some of the recital participants cope with the pressure by adopting a simple rule: They will attempt a small number of takes (5, 3, or even--gulp!--1), and then submit the best of that small number... no matter what.

I don't have the strength of resolve to do that myself, but I can see how it would help ease up on the frustration and certainly the time involved in recording.

I too have heard the rule about not stopping if you make a mistake. I think that is an important part of practicing, because any time you perform publicly, you will make mistakes, and you need to be experienced with and know how to keep playing through mistakes. But it's a different story when I'm recording. If I make a major blooper and I know there's no way I'll be using that version for a recital, I'll stop and start over. But I will often keep playing through the very minor mistakes (skipped notes or something that's not quite as noticeable). I try to get a "just okay" take early on in the process, one that I would feel comfortable about submitting if nothing better emerges. That way the worst of the pressure is off but I can continue to strive for a better take.

When I've got a piece to a reasonable standard I set the recorder going during my practice sessions.It's surprisingly easy to forget about it if you do it regularly.I may do multiple sessions like that before eventually I realize that I'm either close to the end without any major mistakes or even sometimes I'll actually be finished before I think "hold on, I think that's a good'un".Recordings I make in this way are completely stress free and, although inevitably disappointing, represent the best I'm capable of.

I second the idea of recording your playing regularly, at least once a week. I am always dismayed when I hear my first recordings. As hard as I try to listen while I am playing, I just cannot hear it as well as I can when I record it and play it back. Then, it invariably sounds AWFUL. So, I keep recording until it sounds acceptable. Seldom is that perfect! However, something insidious happens when I am trying to record for a recital. The red dot fever activates, even though I record all of the time. Hopefully someday things will become so routine, that I can record without thinking about the red dot!

Although the recording of my own playing proves frustrating, there is one very positive side. It actually reveals the issues with the greatest potential of improvement. Yesterday's recording was not my first one, but one of the first I made of music from the 18th century (Mozart/Haydn). This music requires the utmost care when comes to the use of pedal, and even the smallest attempt to cover inaccuracies with the pedal becomes audible in the recordings. So, while frustrating, the recordings are actually very helpful identifying the weak points.

I made a new recording this afternoon. It was just good enough to be kept, but I'll make additional recordings later and hope for further improvement.

Having signed up for the big Mendelssohn recital and also having the upcoming ABF recital on the agenda I decided to try recording my pieces already yesterday. But this turned out to be pretty frustrating. First of all, listening to recordings of my own playing reveals issues I do not notice while actually playing myself. Then comes the tension just being aware that I try to produce a good recording. This gives increased risk of missing notes and even running completely off the track. One of the pieces I tried to record yesterday is quite long, actually about 5 minutes. Of course I had to do some bad mistakes on the last page after having overcome the most difficult points. It also seems to be a rule that if I make a mistake at one point, this will re-appear if I try once more from the beginning. I wasn't able to make a single recording of acceptable quality yesterday. Fortunately there is some time left before the deadlines.

It really can be a gruelling affair. The tension and frustration are compounded here because my digicam (we've been persuaded to submit videos for the themed recitals) suffers a design flaw causing it to overheat and shut down without warning. This happened during a couple of what could have been 'perfect' takes for the Satie recital. It was only by an effort of supreme restraint - and because it was attached to a tripod - I was able to avoid throwing the cam across the room.

It really can be a gruelling affair. The tension and frustration are compounded here because my digicam (we've been persuaded to submit videos for the themed recitals) suffers a design flaw causing it to overheat and shut down without warning. This happened during a couple of what could have been 'perfect' takes for the Satie recital. It was only by an effort of supreme restraint - and because it was attached to a tripod - I was able to avoid throwing the cam across the room.

The tension and frustration are compounded here because my digicam (we've been persuaded to submit videos for the themed recitals) suffers a design flaw causing it to overheat and shut down without warning.

I use a webcam connecting to Windows Live Movie Maker on my laptop so I don't have to worry about breaking a real camera by start/stop it thousands times...